TIRANA, March 28 /ATA/ The close cooperation between Albanian and UK law enforcement authorities produced very positive results in the fight against illegal migration and organized crime.
Minister of Interior, Taulant Balla, said in his remarks during the meeting of the Joint Supervisory Committee with Great Britain on the fight against illegal immigration and other criminal phenomena, with the participation of Kosovo, that sharing of information in real time between police structures and close cooperation with SPAK serves to prevent and combat criminal activity in both our countries.
“The results so far are good, I do not hesitate to call them exemplary, showing that the cooperation of our structures is productive, successful and an example for other countries to follow. In cooperation with British law enforcement agencies, for the year 2023, I want to inform Minister Sveçla that we have carried out 50 repatriation operations and a total of 2,250 Albanian citizens have been deported, for various reasons, such as: illegally entering the UK; cultivation of narcotic plants; refusal of asylum; counterfeiting documentation; theft or other criminal acts. For the year 2024, we have so far carried out 9 operations with 1108 repatriated citizens”, underlined Balla.
The Albanian minister stated that the parties worked quickly and hard and achieved positive results in curbing the illegal immigration of Albanian citizens to Great Britain.
“These results are undoubtedly a good start and we must do everything possible so that this progress is irreversible and replicated in cooperation with other countries in the region, as is the case of the Republic of Kosovo that is welcome. The presence of Minister Sveçla in this meeting is the most significant message to ratchet up cooperation among us, at a trilateral level already, to fight phenomena that know no borders such as organized crime or illegal migration. We must continue to consolidate these results by reiterating the need for logistical support with equipment, for which I am always grateful to the British party, and which are in the process of evaluation, mainly of the needs related to the Criminal Police Department, which will enhance cooperation and contribute to achieving even better results,” Balla said.
“The challenges for the next year will be building the future on this success, which is the result of the mechanisms we have established, mainly the joint “Taskforce” for migration. The task force started as a bilateral organization between Albania and the United Kingdom, mainly with a focus on combating illegal immigration, and now we have the opportunity to expand it with a more extensive scheme during the coming year. It will not only be limited to illegal immigration, but it will be an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, both between the United Kingdom and Kosovo, but also between Albania and Kosovo. It is a very important strategic relationship, not only in the area of organized crime but also in general areas of security and defense in general,” the British Government’s Special Coordinator for Illegal Immigration, Stuart Skeates, said.
This conference in Tirana is held in the follow-up to the meeting held last September in the framework of the Berlin Process for Home Affairs, and aims to reflect on comprehensive and solution-oriented approaches to effectively manage migration in the Western Balkans and to prevent migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
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